Developer's Accomplice

Debug

Set way, way into the future, as the science fiction genre often is, Debug is about a time when selected convicted felons serve their sentence by carrying out missions relative to their particular skills.

So when a space freighter loses contact, it’s up to our rag-tag nerds to debug and reboot the ship’s computer systems. Of course all artificial intelligence in the future is evil, so their job isn’t going to be easy.

If you like films with futuristic ships in deep space loaded with probable death sentences, it may be for you.

The production is as high as its modest budget could perform, but don’t expect too much. The concept was okay but I don’t know if it fully reached its potential.

But you should definitely make up your own mind.

In Summary

Jeananne Goossen, Adrian Holmes, Adam Butcher, Kjarten Hewitt, Sidney Leeder, Jaydn Wong and Jason Momoa build the main cast of the film. Jason Momoa as the ship’s bizarrely likable evil AI. Six criminals prosecuted for various crimes in hacking are put together and sent around the galaxy on missions in which their computer skills are useful.

Receiving an unexpected mission the crew head for a massive space freighter to assist with its system problems, but on arrival it’s immediately clear that the entire crew is missing and something sinister has happened.

There instructed to each get to a computer so to delete any bugs and reboot the computer systems. Everything is monitored by the ships multiple AIs, with one leading the pack, ‘I Am’.

I Am turns out to be military grade with his computer brain being mixed with a human conscience, thus making him a dangerous force to be in charge of the ship.

After some difficulty on the computers, things aboard the freighter spiral out of control. I Am is fighting against the debug. Having the entire ship at his disposal; the environment is turned into a difficult place to live. Making things worse the crew’s shuttle has been disconnected from the freighter leaving fight as the option.

My Opinion

I don’t generally have anything to do with sci-fi films, I’ve never really liked any bar a handful and those are the all-time classics like Alien and Event Horizon. So when I watched Debug I didn’t go into it wanting. And, as I would’ve, I found it confusing and easy to pick plot holes in the story. I’m positive that if you’re into this film type specifically, then you may find it more entertaining. I Am was the best thing about the film though, just the way he spoke made him likable. Like a good antagonist he believes he’s doing the right thing. But humans are always right, aren’t they?

With the limitations it had with the production, such as the budget, I think it turned out pretty good. Visually things flow nicely but then there will be a distracting moment.

The story was the big thing for me; I didn’t quite understand what was happening towards the end. The first two acts were easy enough, had some of the film’s best moments in them. But the third act lost me completely. But as I said, I don’t watch these types of films so it may have went over my head.

I may be writing too harshly. It’s a solid science fiction film with elements of horror.

If you like the idea of being stranded at the furthest point from home with nobody for conversation other than a homicidal artificial intelligence named I Am, then you should check it out.